Milk-can-cleaning machine.



H. D. LATHROP & W. H. PAULSON.

MILK CAN CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9.1917- Pateuted Dec. 31, 1918..

a ites can rip.

HARRY D. LATHBQP AND WALTER H. PAULSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; S AID PAULSON ASSIGNOR T0 SAID LATHROP.

MILK-CAN-CL EANING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

Application filed June 9, 1917. Serial No. 173,898.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HARRY D. LATHROP and WALTER H. PAULSON, citizens of the United States, and residents of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Milk-Can-Cleaning Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in can cleaning machines, and has for its object the production in a machine of this character, of means for saving the ice and frost which gathers in the neck of a milkor cream can, in cold weather, such ice and frost, which contains the richest portion of the contents of the can, being ordinarily wasted. A further object is the production of improved means as mentioned which will be of economical construction and efiicient in use. Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which,

Figure 1 is a' top plan view of the receiving end portion of a can cleaning mach ne equipped with mechanism embodying the invention,

Fig. 2, a section taken on substantially line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3, an enlarged side elevation of the valve included in the improved construction.

The preferred form of construction, as illustrated in the drawings, is applied to a machine embodying a framework 5 in which an elongated longitudinally extending guide 6 is provided. The guide 6 which is in the form of two spaced rails is adapted to support the cans 7 which are to be cleaned, said cans being arranged upon said guide in invei'ted position and moved along said guides through the machine in the cleaning operation.

At the receiving end of the machine below and between the rails of guide 6 is arranged an upwardly discharging nozzle which is connected by means of a pipe 9 with a su table source of steam supply. Interposed in the pipe 9 is a control valve 10, the operating lever 11 of which is so positioned as to permit of ready manual adjustment thereof by the operator of the machine who is stationed at the receiving end thereof. Below the nozzle 8 is a drip pan or receptacle 12 which in turn discharges into a suitable receptacle 13 whereby the drippings deposited into said drip pan or receptacle will be saved and subsequently utilized. v The arrangement described is designed for use especially in cold Weather when the milk cans received at the dairy ordinarily arc frosted or coated with ice at the necks of the same. The ice or frost thus gather- .in; in the necks of the cans contains the very richest portion of the contents of the cans, as is of course appreciated by those skilled in the art. and at the present time, this ice and frost is wasted for want of some means for effectively removing the same before subjecting the can to the cleaning process. With applicants construction, it will be seen that as the can is placed upon the can guide of the machine, the same will be placed directly over the nozzle 8, so that upon opening of the valve 10 by the operator, the jet of steam discharged from the nozzle will enter the neck of the can, effecting heating of the same, with the result that the ice or frost contained in the neck of the can will be melted and loosened so that this ice or frost will drop into the drip receptacle 12 whence the same will be discharged into The steam discharged from the nozzle 8 being under great pressure and extremely hot, will effect practically instantaneous loosening of the ice or frost in the neck of the can, so that practically no time'will be wasted by the operator in subjecting the can to this treatment preparatory or prior to the actual cleaning or washing to which the can is subjected as the same is subsequently passed through the machine.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying our invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. We, therefore, do not Wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of such variations and modifications as come .the receptacle 13, as above pointed out.

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s: j

1. In a can cleaning machine, the combination of a can support; means cooperating with said support for cleaning cans passing thereover; can heating means arranged to supply a comparatively dry heat to the cans immediately before their passage onto said support; and a drip saving receptacle separate from the cleaning means, arranged to receive the drip from a can subjected to said heating means, substantially as described.

2. In a can cleaning machine, the combination of a can support; means cooperating with said support for cleaning cans passing thereover; can heating means comprising a steam jet arranged to supply a comparatively dry heat to the cans immediately before their passage onto said support; and a drip saving receptacle separate from the cleaning means, arranged to receive the drip from a can subjected to said heating means, substantially as described.

3. In a can cleaning machine, the combination of a can support; means for heating the neck of a can arranged on said support to melt and loosen any ice in the neck of the can prior to cleaning of the can; a drip saving receptacle arranged below said heatin element; and means for subsequently su j ecting the can to a cleaning process,.substantially as described.

4. In a can cleaning machine, the combination of-a support on which the cans to be cleaned areadapted to be arranged in inverted position, and on which the same are adapted to be moved; means for subjecting.

the cans to a cleaning'process in the advance thereof along said support; means for-heating the neck of a can arranged on said support to melt and loosen any ice in the neck of the can prior to subjection of the latter to said cleaning process; and means for sav- Y ing'the drip resulting from said heating of can, substantially as deand loosenany icecontained therein; means for saving the drip from the can resulting fromsaid heating of the neck thereof; and means for subsequently subjecting each can to a cleaning process in the advance thereof along said support, i substantially as described. I

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY D. LATHROP. WALTER H. PAULSON. Witnesses:

Josn'oA R. H. Pom-rs, B. G. RICHARDS. 

